Jun 22, 2026 12:00 PM

This isn't who the Utah Jazz will select on draft night; it's who they should.

Everybody's got an opinion on the top prospects of the upcoming NBA Draft. It's only natural to anticipate an event of this magnitude and conjure up a few opinions, especially if your favorite team (for example, the Utah Jazz) has a high pick and a challenging decision to make.

Tony Jones of The Athletic shared in a recent article that the Jazz are genuinely torn between the top three prospects, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer, and those three players have somewhat distinguished themselves as the cream of the crop in this year's class.

So the objective for the Utah Jazz becomes simple: rank these players on your draft board, and simply take the best player available after Washington has staked their claim with the first overall selection, assuming they're not still planning to deal it away.

But what would that ranking even look like? What qualities will the Jazz hunt with the second overall pick? And if they had their choice of any in the top three, which player would they claim?

I'm looking at fit; I want to know exactly how these players slot into the roster from day one. Especially for a Jazz team that could be very good this season, selecting a future superstar is a task with a smaller window for error than most teams in Utah's position. So based on fit, which players do I believe could lift Utah to greater heights from the moment they touch down in Salt Lake City?

Ranking the NBA Draft's Top 3 Players Based On Fit with the Utah Jazz

1. Darryn Peterson, 6'6", G

Peterson is the only guard in the top three, and as a more natural shooting guard than point guard (I don't care if he claims otherwise), he fits perfectly as a backcourt compliment to Keyonte George.

Peterson plays exceptional defense, with incredible athleticism, quick reaction time, a strong frame, and natural instincts to set the opposition out of balance. And that's not even to mention his offensive repertoire as one of the most natural scorers at his position the NBA has seen in years.

He gets comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Devin Booker for a reason -- he could be an all-time great shooting guard in Utah.

2. AJ Dybantsa, 6'9", F

Dybantsa is a little less of a natural fit with the Jazz, unless they believe that he could be an ideal shooting guard much like Ace Bailey proved to be last season. Both players are around 6'9" and both players have shown flashes of elite athleticism and incredible scoring ability.

But Dybantsa is much farther along, and is a more proven self-creator on the offensive end. The overlap with Bailey is a bit redundant despite Dybantsa's rich skill set, but if the Jazz are intent on leaning into a jumbo lineup, AJ could be a fascinating proposition to fill Ace Bailey's role and allow Ace to play more off ball and focus more on the defensive end of his game.

3. Cameron Boozer, 6'9", F

Boozer is the popular pick these days for the Utah Jazz, and I don't truly understand why. Yes, he's an excellent player. Yes, he's proved time and time again that he's not only capable of winning at any level, but his game translates seamlessly as a player who understands the game at a whole different level.

He's the analytics darling, an underrated playmaker, and a fantastic scorer-rebounder hybrid. But with the Jazz's lineup of Markkanen, JJJ, and Kessler, it's hard to find a spot for his power forward (small forward at the smallest) resume.

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